All Working X-Ray Glitches in Minecraft

All X-Ray glitches in Minecraft exploit the same underlying rendering behavior. When Minecraft detects that the player's camera is positioned inside a solid block, it stops rendering that block to prevent the player's view from being completely obstructed. This is an intentional quality-of-life feature -- without it, getting pushed into a wall would leave you staring at a gray screen.

X-Ray glitches work by tricking the game into placing your camera inside a block without the game recognizing that you should be pushed out. Each method uses different block mechanics to achieve this: some use blocks with unusual collision boxes, others use entity interactions to force your position, and some exploit how certain blocks interact with the player hitbox.

Once your camera is inside a block, Minecraft culls the rendering of nearby solid blocks. This reveals caves, ores, and structures behind the blocks that are no longer being drawn. The effect is similar to X-Ray vision, though it is usually limited to the direction your camera is facing and the immediate surrounding area.

These glitches work entirely in vanilla Minecraft. No downloads, no mods, no resource packs. They function in both singleplayer and multiplayer (though servers may have anti-cheat that detects the resulting mining patterns). The trade-off is that they require physical setup, only work in specific positions, and show a limited view compared to a resource pack or mod.

The composter glitch is the simplest and most reliable X-Ray method in vanilla Minecraft. It exploits the composter's unique collision box, which is slightly smaller than a full block on the inside, to push your camera into an adjacent solid block.

Materials Needed

One composter (crafted from 7 wooden slabs). That is it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Dig down to the Y level where you want to scan for ores. For diamonds, go to Y=-59. For ancient debris in the Nether, go to Y=15.

2. Dig a small 1x1 hole in the wall at head height. The hole should be exactly one block deep.

3. Place the composter in the hole so that it is embedded in the wall with the opening facing you.

4. Walk into the composter. Because the composter's interior collision box is slightly smaller than a full block, your player model can overlap with the wall behind it.

5. Once inside the composter, press F5 (or your third-person view key) to switch to third-person view, then immediately switch back to first-person. Alternatively, look straight down while inside the composter and slowly move your view upward.

6. Your camera should now be clipping into the adjacent solid blocks. You will see through the walls and floor, revealing ores, caves, and other features in the surrounding area.

7. To scan a larger area, break and replace the composter every 10-15 blocks along a tunnel. Each position gives you a view of approximately a 5-8 block radius.

Tips

Crouch (hold Shift) while inside the composter for more consistent camera clipping. If the glitch does not trigger immediately, try moving slightly left or right within the composter. The exact camera position matters, and small adjustments can make the difference between seeing through blocks and seeing nothing.

The piston glitch uses a piston to push your player into a solid block. When the piston extends and pushes a block into your position, the game temporarily places your camera inside the pushed block, triggering the X-Ray rendering cull.

Materials Needed

One piston (3 wood planks, 4 cobblestone, 1 iron ingot, 1 redstone dust). One redstone block or lever for activation. One solid block (any type) to be pushed.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. At your desired Y level, dig a small chamber that is 3 blocks long, 1 block wide, and 2 blocks tall.

2. Place the piston at one end of the chamber, facing toward the other end. The piston head should point along the length of the tunnel.

3. Place a solid block directly in front of the piston (the block the piston will push).

4. Stand in the space directly in front of the solid block. You should be between the block and the wall at the end of the chamber.

5. Activate the piston by placing a redstone block next to it or flipping a lever. The piston pushes the solid block into your position.

6. As the block moves through your position, your camera clips into the block. The surrounding solid blocks stop rendering, and you can see through the terrain.

7. The effect is temporary. It lasts while the block occupies your camera space. You can sustain it by not moving, or use a sticky piston with a clock circuit to repeatedly push and pull the block for an extended X-Ray view.

Tips

Using a sticky piston with a simple redstone clock (two observers facing each other) creates a repeating push-pull cycle that maintains the X-Ray effect continuously. This is more complex to set up but gives you an indefinite viewing window. Position yourself carefully. Being too far forward or backward will cause the glitch to fail.

The TNT minecart glitch exploits how minecart entities interact with blocks and player positioning. By riding a minecart into a specific configuration, you can force your camera below the floor level and see through the ground beneath you.

Materials Needed

One minecart with TNT (1 minecart + 1 TNT). Two rails. One piston. One redstone block or lever.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. At your desired Y level, dig a 2-block deep pit that is 1 block wide and 3 blocks long.

2. Place rails on the floor of the pit so the minecart can be placed.

3. Place the TNT minecart on the rails. Do not activate or detonate it.

4. Place a piston above the minecart, facing downward. When activated, the piston should push a block down onto the minecart.

5. Stand directly on top of the TNT minecart and crouch.

6. Activate the piston to push a block onto the minecart. The downward force compresses the minecart entity and your player position, pushing your camera below the floor.

7. You should now see through the floor and the blocks below, revealing ores and caves beneath your position.

Tips

This method is Java-specific and may not work on all versions. Test in creative mode first. Be careful not to accidentally activate the TNT minecart. If it detonates, it will destroy surrounding blocks and likely kill you. Right-click the minecart gently and do not hit it.

This glitch uses the interaction between a boat entity and soul sand's slightly shorter collision box. Soul sand is 15/16 of a block tall, and when combined with a boat, this height difference can push your camera into an adjacent ceiling block.

Materials Needed

One boat (5 wood planks). One soul sand block (obtained from the Nether soul sand valley).

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Find or dig a location where you have a 1-block gap between a soul sand floor and a solid ceiling. The ceiling should be the terrain you want to see through.

2. Place soul sand on the floor. Make sure the block above the soul sand is open (air) with a solid block ceiling above that.

3. Place a boat on top of the soul sand. The boat sits slightly lower on soul sand than on regular blocks due to the reduced height.

4. Right-click the boat to sit in it. Your player's camera position adjusts to the boat's seat height.

5. While seated, the combination of the soul sand depression and boat positioning may push your head hitbox into the ceiling block. Look upward to trigger the rendering cull.

6. You should see through the ceiling, revealing the blocks and ores above your position.

Tips

This method works best for scanning the blocks directly above you. It is particularly useful for finding ores in the ceiling of a tunnel or cave. If the glitch does not trigger, try placing the boat at slightly different angles or adding a second soul sand block adjacent to the first.

Scaffolding has a unique collision model that allows players to descend through it by crouching. This behavior can be exploited to clip your camera into adjacent solid blocks by positioning scaffolding against a wall.

Materials Needed

Scaffolding blocks (crafted from 6 bamboo and 1 string). At least 2-3 scaffolding blocks per viewing position.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Place scaffolding against a solid wall at the Y level you want to scan. Stack 2-3 scaffolding blocks vertically.

2. Climb to the top of the scaffolding by walking into it and pressing jump or looking up.

3. Position yourself at the top scaffolding block so that your head is level with or slightly above the adjacent solid wall.

4. Hold crouch (Shift) to start descending inside the scaffolding. As you descend, your camera passes through different height levels.

5. At certain positions during the descent, your camera clips into the adjacent wall. When this happens, the solid blocks near your camera stop rendering, giving you X-Ray vision in that direction.

6. The key is finding the exact crouch height where the camera clips. This may require experimenting with different scaffolding heights and wall positions.

Tips

Scaffolding is cheap and renewable if you have a bamboo farm. You can quickly place and break scaffolding along a tunnel to scan for ores in the walls. This method works on both Java and Bedrock editions, though the exact camera clipping behavior may differ between versions.

Shulker boxes have a unique animation when opened. The lid extends upward, potentially pushing entities. This interaction can be used to force your player into a ceiling block, triggering the X-Ray rendering cull.

Materials Needed

One shulker box (crafted from 2 shulker shells and 1 chest, which requires defeating shulkers in an End City). One solid block for the ceiling.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Find a location where you have exactly 2 blocks of vertical space (a solid floor and a solid ceiling with 2 air blocks between them).

2. Place the shulker box on the floor.

3. Stand directly on top of the shulker box. Your head should be close to the ceiling.

4. Open the shulker box by right-clicking it. As the shulker box lid opens, it pushes your player upward slightly. With the ceiling directly above, this push can force your head into the ceiling block.

5. If positioned correctly, your camera clips into the ceiling block. The surrounding solid blocks stop rendering, and you can see through the terrain above.

6. Close and reopen the shulker box to re-trigger the effect if needed. Adjust your position slightly if the glitch does not work on the first attempt.

Tips

This method requires end-game materials (shulker shells from the End), so it is not accessible early in survival. However, if you already have shulker boxes, it is a convenient method because you likely carry shulker boxes as portable storage anyway. The method works best in tight spaces where the ceiling is exactly 2 blocks above the floor.

Vanilla glitches are handy when you cannot install anything, but they have significant limitations compared to the resource pack and mod approaches. Here is how they stack up.

Always test glitches in a creative world first. Some methods can be finicky and require precise positioning. Practicing in creative lets you learn the technique without risking your survival inventory.

Combine glitches with knowledge of optimal Y levels. Even with limited X-Ray vision, being at the right depth dramatically increases the number of ores you spot. Mine at Y=-59 for diamonds, Y=15 in the Nether for ancient debris.

Mark ore locations with torches or blocks before breaking the glitch setup. The X-Ray view disappears as soon as your camera returns to a normal position, so you need reference points to remember where ores are located. Place a torch on the wall nearest to each ore vein you spot.

Increase your brightness to maximum before using glitches. The camera clipping effect can make underground areas very dark. Set Brightness to Bright in Video Settings, or edit gamma to 5.0 in options.txt for fullbright. See our installation guide for details on the gamma edit.

If a glitch stops working after a Minecraft update, check back on this page. We update this guide after every major version release to confirm which methods still function and document any new glitches that are discovered.